Fox in the henhouse!

[Billfish715]

We fished for bonitos and false albacore in some "sporty" seas on Sunday. It didn't stop us from catching fish and it didn't stop the pair of draggers from raking the fluke off the Manasquan Ridge and the surrounding areas. The ridge is always a staging area for fluke which are on the move to offshore wintering grounds. If you are headed out that way and don't find too many fluke, just be advised that the foxes are out there and they know where those big "hens" are lying. I haven't seen the draggers all season, but they are around now! If you are worried about the fluke fishing tailing off because of the weather, worry more about the foxes scooping them up.

[shrimpman steve]

And they blame us rod and reel guys for the depletion in stocks

[Capt. Lou]

Unfortunately I've seen them quite often in this region. However these a few snags in that direction that offer some decent curtain call fluking .
Often times just as productive in early season w/o all the traffic u into up north .
In fact most of my big fish this season came from SE of MI!

[Reel Class]

Draggers don't work all summer, they have quotas they have to fill and will only fish when it's open for them -- hence the reason why you might not have seen them.

They were working S of the Axel for awhile just prior to their "closure" and we caught fish right where they were working, in the sand, go figure.

And, FWIW, the ridge has been loaded the last 2 weeks, (loaded with 14"ers!) and with their season back open that's a nice quick ride for them -- those guys have been working that spot and the E and SE lump for decades...

[Billfish715]

I had a tag return from that area two years ago from a local dragger. I tagged the fish off SeaBright about 3 months prior. This time of the year, as your know, the fluke stage or bunch up and once you find them, you can have a banner day. The draggers have it down to a science and check their log books from over the years and go back to those productive areas. With the amount and spread of fluke they can't get them all. We hook and liners have to find the fish just like they do. Unfortunately, we have to weed through the shorts more than they do. Fortunately, they can't get on the snags where most of the big ones are.

[Denlon]

Originally Posted by Reel Class

Draggers don't work all summer, they have quotas they have to fill and will only fish when it's open for them

I don't mind that the draggers fill their quotas...But I do mind two unfair things about how they are allowed to fill it:

1) They can legally take 14" fish that I have to throw back

2) The mesh size of their nets are supposed to be large enough so that Fluke smaller than 14" can escape. However, when their net gets full on a long tow, all the smaller Fluke are jammed up in the net along with the bigger fish, and they are dragged to death. When the net is finally pulled, all these dead, undersized Fluke (<14") are culled and thrown overboard...AND THEY ARE NOT COUNTED AS PART OF THE BOAT"S ALLOWED PONDAGE QUOTA. What a waste!

Pardon me. I have to go to the fish market and buy fillets from the 14" Fluke I caught and threw back last week!

Denny

[Blackfish Doug]

You guys kill me the only reason why they are allowed 14" fish is because everything that comes up is not going back alive. As for the mesh size it does not matter once a bigger fish is in the net that gap is filled no way for the smaller Fluke to escape. That is the reason for 14" size they should be able to keep any size fill their 100 lbs. & go on.Also did you check the regulations I just did it's only 100 lbs a day that's what they are allowed. Here check for yourself njcommercialfishing regulations. They may be targeting something else there really is no money in Fluke. At 100lbs. a day how much can you profit? I use to be a commercial pinhooker there's no money in it. Don't forget a lot of these commercial fisherman are the same ones that call you in if they see the Tuna on top as well as the bluefish. They also supplied a lot of the party boats & charter boats with excellent numbers for wrecks & structure. If you get friendly enough with them & asked I'm sure you would get some numbers as well. I think our battle is not with the commercial fisherman it's with the regulators. Years ago their quotas were better as much but so was ours & there was plenty for everybody as there is now. If we all can get together we would be stronger as a unit. Remember these guys put in very hard long days for very little reward. I don't see commercial fisherman driving bentleys but I'm sure that the regulators are doing pretty good for themselves.

[Billfish715]

Good points, Doug. My point was more of a heads up to anyone who was headed toward where the draggers had been. The area needed time to settle down. The commercial guys have pound limits and despite what our hook and line concerns are, the netters don't catch them all. They get their share, but there's still a lot left over. The fish don't all belong to them and they all don't belong to us. The commercial size regs could be raised to 18" and the mesh size increased too, but once the bottom of the net gets some fish in it, anything else just gets stuck on top of them and are usually DOA. It's like a clogged drain. Once the bottom is stuffed, nothing big or small gets through. The draggers never drag on the mussel beds, or in the channels, or on the wrecks, or reefs, or in the rivers or bays. That leaves a lot of real estate for hook and liners and guess where the biggest fish seem to hang out?

[Blackfish Doug]

Billfish 715 my post was not directed at you but for others who do not understand commercial fishing. I just wanted to educate the people a little bit about commercial fishing. When I was younger Commercial fishing did over fish but so did the recreational fisherman & they were just as bad. There was plenty of fish for everyone as it is today. The quality & size of the fish today are bigger on average & the numbers are coming back. We all learned from our past but there are bad apples on both sides of the coin it's just not one sided.